WVTK Local & State News January 3, 2012

Police are looking for an armed suspect who stole medication from a Poultney woman. Police say a man entered 65-year-old Sheila Rockwell's home at around 7:00 last night and demanded medication from her. He then fled in an unknown direction. Police say a weapon was displayed during the incident but no one was hurt. The suspect is described as a white male wearing dark clothing, including a hoodie and a mask. Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

Police say the fire that damaged the Mountain Lake Services building in Port Henry, New York was intentionally set and they have a man in custody. The fire started late Sunday night on Main Street. Police have charged 43-year-old Joseph King for DUI, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief. He has not been charged with arson. King use to work in the building, but hasn't been employed there since 2008. Damage to the building is estimated at $500,000. No one was injured during the blaze.

By the end of this year, there will be 7,747 more acres of land in Vermont that will never be developed. That’s the total acreage of new Vermont Land Trust conservation easement projects across the state, which includes 1,241 in Addison County. The easement ensures that forested and agricultural land will not be developed, however the forests can be sustainably harvested, fields can continue to be farmed, and the land can be used for recreational purposes.

For more than a decade, police officer Scott Fisher has walked the beat in Middlebury schools, maintaining the peace while dispensing wisdom, mediation and some kind words along the way. Fisher will be vacating his position of Middlebury School Resource Officer. This month he will be rotating back to the Middlebury policed headquarters to tend to some projects in anticipation of his retirement next year. Officer Chris Mason will succeed Fisher.

Vergennes aldermen have agreed to consider at a future meeting adopting a formal conflict of interest policy. The recommendation came from school board member Cheryl Brinkman and planner Alex McGuire, who asked aldermen to either consider adopting a conflict of interest policy or ordinance, or give residents the option of adopting one on Town Meeting Day.

The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources is wary of plans for a large wind power project that would be based around Grandpa's Knob in Castleton. Agency Secretary of Deb Markowitz said her staff met recently with the owner of Reunion Power of Manchester and his consultant and outlined several potential problems. Markowitz says there are numerous rare species and significant natural communities in the area. Reunion Power is considering up to 20 turbines in the Grandpa's Knob area.

A panel of top Vermont state officials who track fiscal issues is expected to approve Gov. Peter Shumlin's request for $6.1 million in state money to make up for cuts in federal heating assistance today. Federal aid to Vermont for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is being cut from last year's level of $27.5 million to $19.5 million this year. Shumlin's plan is to make up for most of that cut with $5.1 million from a fund set aside by lawmakers last year to guard against federal cuts.

There had been widespread speculation that a federal judge would decide the future of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant by the turn of the year. But so far, there's been no word. Vermont's Yankee's owner, New Orleans-based Entergy Corp., is suing to try to prevent Vermont from forcing the state's lone nuclear plant to shut down. Vermont Yankee's state operating permit expires March 21.

The Rural Vermont Board of Directors announced it has named Andrea Stander as the organization’s new director. Stander is a long-time central Vermont community organizer and political activist. Prior to being named Director for Rural Vermont, Stander served for a year as the executive director of the Vermont League of Conservation Voters after having helped organize the Get Out the Green Vote initiative during the 2010 election cycle.

Republican leaders say they're continuing to talk with potential candidates to challenge either Senator Bernie Sanders or Congressman Peter Welch, but so far no GOP candidates have announced intent to run in either race. Potential challengers will face an uphill battle on fundraising from the state, with Sanders already banking $2.3 million and Welch $1.1 million.

Rutland Police Commission Chairman Lawrence Jensen said an interim police chief could be named Thursday. Until then the Rutland City Police Department will function as if the chief was on vacation. Chief Anthony Bossi worked his final day at the department Friday. The City has three applicants seeking to serve as interim chief as the city searches for Bossi’s successor.

The federal agency in charge of investigating the illegal use and trafficking of firearms is assisting the Rutland Police Department in a case involving a gun fired downtown shortly after midnight on New Year’s Eve. A shot was fired downtown early Sunday morning at the corner of Center and Wales streets as hundreds of people gathered at bars to celebrate New Year’s Eve. No arrests had been made as of Monday morning. Anyone with information is asked to call police.

State Rep. Butch Shaw of Pittsford is hoping to protect Vermonters who might be disconnected from a public water system through a bill he will introduce during the new legislative session. The bill, named H.470, proposes to prohibit the discontinuance of a public water system until all disconnected customers have obtained an alternative drinking water supply. Shaw said he hopes the bill will protect the approximately 70 residents in Pittsford and Chittenden who will be disconnected from the Proctor water system as Proctor works to improve its water system.

Vermont’s local historical societies and museums are getting a shot in the arm during the New Year thanks a program started by the Vermont Historical Society. The Barre-based statewide organization announced that its Vermont Collections Care Mentoring Program will provide local volunteers, and paid staffers, with high-level training. For a group or museum to be eligible for the program, it must be a member of the Vermont Historical Society. Only institutional membership qualifies for the mentoring assistance. For more information or to request an application you contact Lisa Evans via e-mail lisa.evans@state.vt.us. (Phone: 802-479-8522)

A simple change in the weather makes all the difference in the world of skiing. The popular Vermont alpine destination is located atop the Green Mountain range a few miles east of Middlebury, along Route 125. They opened back on December 6th but the December 28th – 29th was the first significant snowfall of the season. More than 10 inches of white stuff helped transform the Snow Bowl into an alpine wonderland. More than 500 skiers and snowboarders rushed to the Snow Bowl to take advantage of the fresh snowfall.

The Essex County Department of Public Works is getting an extra $1 million for flood repairs in 2012, despite efforts to use some of those funds for existing road programs. The County Board of Supervisors granted Department of the Public Works Superintendent’s request to move $918,800 in unspent asphalt and project money from this year's budget to the flood account.

Vermonters who earn minimum wage are welcoming in the New Year with a raise. The state is increasing minimum wage to $8.46 per hour. That is a 31-cent increase, which will net full time workers an extra $645 per year. The change will affect more than 20,000 workers in the state.

Vermont lawmakers are set to return for the second half of their 2-year term with continued recovery from Tropical Storm Irene and balancing the state budget among the top items on the agenda. Both House and Senate convene at 10 this morning and are slated to pick up business where they left off when they adjourned last May, with the House to debate a bill requiring safe cleaning products in schools. The Senate will be taking up a possible override of a veto by Gov. Peter Shumlin of a bill requiring testing of private wells for arsenic and other toxic substances. But the big, longer-term issues will include how to close an estimated $75 million budget gap and paying for Irene recovery.

The Vermont utility building a 21-turbine commercial wind farm on Lowell Mountain says it's going to conserve 2,700 acres as a way to compensate for the land being developed as part of the project. Green Mountain Power says that last month the Vermont Public Service Board approved its plan to conserve 1,662 acres on two parcels in Eden. In addition, GMP has conserved 1,070 acres of land on Lowell Mountain away from the wind power project.

A specialty peanut butter manufacturer is making a go of it in a new Vermont town after losing its manufacturing facility to Tropical Storm Irene. The Vermont Peanut Butter Company has set up in new manufacturing space in Morrisville, about 20 miles up the road from its previous site in Waterbury. Founder Chris Kaiser started his gourmet peanut butter company in his kitchen in 2009. He says sales had doubled in the year before the setback with Irene.

A public meeting will be held on the future of the postal office in White River Junction. The U.S. Postal Service is looking to close 3,700 post offices nationwide and 250 mail processing centers, including the one in White River Junction. The $3 billion in cuts announced early this month would slow first-class mail service, ending next-day deliveries of stamped letters. The Postal Service has agreed to delay the closing of 252 mail processing centers and 3,700 local post offices until mid-May. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who helped push for the moratorium, plans to attend the meeting on Wednesday at 6PM at the American Legion Hall in White River Junction.

Neal White’s black and white photography is featured in prestigious venues around the world, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Washington’s Smithsonian Institution, Paris’s National Library of France, and now, Middlebury’s Ilsley Public Library. Through March 1, 10 of White’s most famous pictures that were selected by his wife, Elisabeth will be on display in the community meeting room at the Ilsley. Neal White will give a talk at the Ilsley Library on Tuesday. January 17, at 10:30AM and his photography can be viewed at nealwhiteportfolio.com. He will also be teaching classes this winter, more information is online at middleburystudioschool.org.

Twelfth Night will be celebrated with an ecumenical church service at the Penfield Homestead Museum. The event will be held this Sunday at 3PM at the Penfield Church, across the street from the Penfield Museum in Ironville. It will feature songs, scriptures and stories. There will also be light refreshments. It’s sponsored by the Museum and will feature members of the Crown Point Methodist Church, Sacred Heart Catholic Church and the First Congregational Church. The Twelfth Night tradition dates to the Middle Ages. In early times, Christmas was 12 days of celebration, starting on December 25th and culminating on the 12th night, which was considered “Christmas Day.”

The Ticonderoga Kiwanis are thinking about warm weather. Members are now selling tickets for their annual “Win at 55” contest. Participants are asked to guess the date and time the temperature in Ticonderoga will reach 55 degrees. Win at 55’ is one way to keep folk’s spirits high during the winter months and to raise funds for the many community projects that Ti Kiwanis undertakes each year. Tickets will be sold through February 20th and the 55-degree day will be recorded after February 28th. All monies raised will be used to improve the community and or help area children.

The Town of Willsboro has enjoyed renewed interest since Willsboro native Sophie Clarke won the million-dollar prize on the latest season of "Survivor." Twelve years ago a former town councilman started the website, www.willsborony.com, to focus on tourism and points of interest in the area. The site has been going strong ever since, with about 1,000 hits a week. The Monday after Sophie won, the site had 12,000 hits. The community is hoping the recent attention will help increase the number of annual visitors and bring more money to the town.